Exclusive: Yellow Veil Pictures and Drafthouse Films have co-acquired North American rights to the documentary Cathryne Czubek’s documentary Once Upon A Time Uganda.
The work revolves around the unlikely friendship between Uganda’s answer to Quentin Tarantino, filmmaker Isaac Nabwana, and American film programmer Alan Hofmanis, who moves to the East African country to collaborate on his films.
Against the backdrop of Wakaliga, a slum in Uganda’s capital of Kampala, the pair unite over their shared love of Chuck Norris and gonzo 80’s action flicks and ambitions to catapult ‘Wakaliwood’ to international stardom.
The film was originally due to world premiere at the canceled 2020 edition of SXSW but then debuted at DocNYC, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Competition.
The distributors are planning a theatrical release with an exclusive week run with Alamo Drafthouse theaters starting July 4th before expanding to additional markets.
The work revolves around the unlikely friendship between Uganda’s answer to Quentin Tarantino, filmmaker Isaac Nabwana, and American film programmer Alan Hofmanis, who moves to the East African country to collaborate on his films.
Against the backdrop of Wakaliga, a slum in Uganda’s capital of Kampala, the pair unite over their shared love of Chuck Norris and gonzo 80’s action flicks and ambitions to catapult ‘Wakaliwood’ to international stardom.
The film was originally due to world premiere at the canceled 2020 edition of SXSW but then debuted at DocNYC, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the U.S. Competition.
The distributors are planning a theatrical release with an exclusive week run with Alamo Drafthouse theaters starting July 4th before expanding to additional markets.
- 4/25/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
UK sales and distribution outfit Blue Finch Films has boarded worldwide rights to the documentary Once Upon A Time In Uganda, which is set to have its world premiere at Fantastic Fest next month.
Set in the slums of Uganda, the film follows two men from opposite sides of the world who comes together over a shared love for Chuck Norris. Isaac, a former brick maker in Uganda, decides to pick up a camera and start shooting his own ‘80s inspired action epics, and Alan, a film nerd from New York gives up his life in America to join forces with Isaac after seeing a trailer for one of his films online. The pair end up finding internet fame with their work from ‘Wakaliwood’.
Cathryne Czubek directed, wrote and produced the movie. Amanda Hughes was co-writer. Gigi Dement, Matt Porwoll and Hugo Perez co-produced; the latter also co-directed.
“Once Upon...
Set in the slums of Uganda, the film follows two men from opposite sides of the world who comes together over a shared love for Chuck Norris. Isaac, a former brick maker in Uganda, decides to pick up a camera and start shooting his own ‘80s inspired action epics, and Alan, a film nerd from New York gives up his life in America to join forces with Isaac after seeing a trailer for one of his films online. The pair end up finding internet fame with their work from ‘Wakaliwood’.
Cathryne Czubek directed, wrote and produced the movie. Amanda Hughes was co-writer. Gigi Dement, Matt Porwoll and Hugo Perez co-produced; the latter also co-directed.
“Once Upon...
- 8/24/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Expanding on the subject of his first feature, the both-sides-of-the-border drug wars documentary Cartel Land, director Matthew Heineman’s latest project is a five-part documentary series for Showtime. The first two hours premiered at Sundance. Prior to the screening, Dp Matt Porwoll explained the difficulties of working on a project following both drug cartels in Mexico and stories of addiction and counter-law enforcement in the States in multiple cities. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Porwoll: When Matthew Heineman first […]...
- 1/30/2018
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
As part of a series of lens tests, Matt Porwoll delves into the Fujinon Mk 18-55mm Zoom. As he writes as part of a thorough technical breakdown: The Fuji Mk 18-55 is an extremely lightweight lens, but solidly built. Weighing in at just over 2 lbs, it balances well with lighter-weight cameras like the Sony FS7 and FS5. It will also be a nice addition to the Sony a7SII, giving cinema style operation to a camera that otherwise would have difficulty supporting such a lens style.
- 6/12/2017
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Prior to today’s Oscar nomination announcements, Joshua Oppenheimer‘s follow up/ companion film to the haunting The Act of Killing won the top prizes at the 2015 Cinema Eye Honors. The Look of Silence claimed the Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature, Outstanding Achievement in Direction for Joshua Oppenheimer and Outstanding Achievement in Production for the film’s producer Signe Byrge Sorensen. Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi’s Sundance preemed docu landed a pair of wins. Here is the list of worthy winners per category.
Winners:
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: “The Look of Silence,” directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, produced by Signe Byrge Sorensen
Outstanding Achievement in Direction: Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence”
Outstanding Achievement in Editing: Chris King, “Amy”
Outstanding Achievement in Production: Signe Byrge Sorensen, “The Look of Silence”
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: (tie) Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll, “Cartel Land,” and Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk,...
Winners:
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: “The Look of Silence,” directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, produced by Signe Byrge Sorensen
Outstanding Achievement in Direction: Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence”
Outstanding Achievement in Editing: Chris King, “Amy”
Outstanding Achievement in Production: Signe Byrge Sorensen, “The Look of Silence”
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: (tie) Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll, “Cartel Land,” and Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk,...
- 1/14/2016
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence has won three awards at the ninth annual Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking: Outstanding Achievement, Direction and, for Signe Byrge Sørensen, Production. Cinematography's a tie: Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll for Cartel Land and Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk for Meru, which has won the Audience Award. Chris King takes the Editing award for Amy. Laurie Anderson's won the Original Music Score award for Heart of a Dog. We've got the complete list of winners. » - David Hudson...
- 1/14/2016
- Keyframe
Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence has won three awards at the ninth annual Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking: Outstanding Achievement, Direction and, for Signe Byrge Sørensen, Production. Cinematography's a tie: Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll for Cartel Land and Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk for Meru, which has won the Audience Award. Chris King takes the Editing award for Amy. Laurie Anderson's won the Original Music Score award for Heart of a Dog. We've got the complete list of winners. » - David Hudson...
- 1/14/2016
- Fandor: Keyframe
Cartel Land
Directed by Matthew Heineman
Mexico | USA, 2015
“There’s an imaginary line between good and evil,” observes a shadowy figure in the scintillating new documentary, Cartel Land. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Director Matthew Heineman’s embedded examination of impassioned citizens fighting Mexican drug cartels is surrounded by moral quicksand. It’s also packed with more revelations and plot twists than most Hollywood dramas. Boots-on-the-ground guerilla filmmaking has never looked better or posed more thought-provoking questions.
Perhaps the most in-depth consideration of vigilantism ever filmed, Cartel Land infiltrates civilian forces fighting the drug trade on both sides of the Mexico/Us border. In Arizona, Tim “Nailer” Foley leads a small band of heavily-armed men called the Arizona Border Recon, as they patrol a 52 mile stretch known as “Cocaine Alley.” Foley and his compatriots, exasperated by their government’s lack of political will,...
Directed by Matthew Heineman
Mexico | USA, 2015
“There’s an imaginary line between good and evil,” observes a shadowy figure in the scintillating new documentary, Cartel Land. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Director Matthew Heineman’s embedded examination of impassioned citizens fighting Mexican drug cartels is surrounded by moral quicksand. It’s also packed with more revelations and plot twists than most Hollywood dramas. Boots-on-the-ground guerilla filmmaking has never looked better or posed more thought-provoking questions.
Perhaps the most in-depth consideration of vigilantism ever filmed, Cartel Land infiltrates civilian forces fighting the drug trade on both sides of the Mexico/Us border. In Arizona, Tim “Nailer” Foley leads a small band of heavily-armed men called the Arizona Border Recon, as they patrol a 52 mile stretch known as “Cocaine Alley.” Foley and his compatriots, exasperated by their government’s lack of political will,...
- 7/16/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
A tense, cinematically-styled verite documentary about the Mexican drug wars, Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land was one of the big winners at Sundance this year, nabbing both the Directing and Cinematography Awards. Strikingly, both positions were filled by the same person: Matthew Heineman, who also produced and edited. (For Cartel Land, Heineman shares the d.p. credit with Matt Porwoll.) Below, the multi-hyphenate talks about why, for him, shooting isn’t entirely about the image; why being his own d.p. calmed him down during the tenser moments of production; and the benefits of capturing a flat image through Canon Log. Filmmaker: How and […]...
- 2/13/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A tense, cinematically-styled verite documentary about the Mexican drug wars, Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land was one of the big winners at Sundance this year, nabbing both the Directing and Cinematography Awards. Strikingly, both positions were filled by the same person: Matthew Heineman, who also produced and edited. (For Cartel Land, Heineman shares the d.p. credit with Matt Porwoll.) Below, the multi-hyphenate talks about why, for him, shooting isn’t entirely about the image; why being his own d.p. calmed him down during the tenser moments of production; and the benefits of capturing a flat image through Canon Log. Filmmaker: How and […]...
- 2/13/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Sundance breakout Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, a quirky, heartfelt story about a pair of high school film-lovers who befriend a girl with cancer, won both the U.S. dramatic audience award and the grand jury prize at the 31st Sundance Film Festival awards, announced Saturday.
Thomas Mann, R.J. Cyler and Olivia Cooke lead the cast of the idiosyncratic tearjerker from director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, who dedicated the audience award to all the filmmakers and artists in his hometown of Laredo, Texas. Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, and Molly Shannon also star.
"My love goes out to the entire cast and crew," Gomez-Rejon said. "This movie was about processing loss, but really to celebrate a beautiful life and a beautiful man, which is my amazing father ... to celebrate his life through humor."
The Wolfpack, Crystal Moselle's documentary about six movie-loving teenage boys isolated from society picked up the...
Thomas Mann, R.J. Cyler and Olivia Cooke lead the cast of the idiosyncratic tearjerker from director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, who dedicated the audience award to all the filmmakers and artists in his hometown of Laredo, Texas. Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, and Molly Shannon also star.
"My love goes out to the entire cast and crew," Gomez-Rejon said. "This movie was about processing loss, but really to celebrate a beautiful life and a beautiful man, which is my amazing father ... to celebrate his life through humor."
The Wolfpack, Crystal Moselle's documentary about six movie-loving teenage boys isolated from society picked up the...
- 2/2/2015
- by Cineplex.com and contributors
- Cineplex
U.S Dramatic
Grand Jury Prize
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)
Audience Award
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)
Directing Award
The Witch (Robert Eggers, U.S./Canada)
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
The Stanford Prison Experiment (Tim Talbott)
Special Jury Award – Excellence in Cinematography
Diary of a Teenage Girl (Brandon Trost)
Special Jury Award – Excellence in Editing
Dope (Lee Haugen)
Special Jury Award – Collaborative Vision
Advantageous (Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang)
U.S. Documentary
Grand Jury Prize
The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle)
Audience Award
Meru (Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi)
Directing Award
Cartel Land (Matthew Heineman, U.S./Mexico)
Special Jury Award — Social Impact
3 1/2 Minutes (Marc Silver)
Special Jury Award – Verite Filmmaking
Western (Bill Ross, Turner Ross)
Special Jury Award – Break Out First Feature
(T)error (Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe)
Special Jury Award – Cinematography
Cartel Land (Matthew Heineman, Matt Porwoll)
World Cinema Dramatic...
Grand Jury Prize
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)
Audience Award
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)
Directing Award
The Witch (Robert Eggers, U.S./Canada)
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
The Stanford Prison Experiment (Tim Talbott)
Special Jury Award – Excellence in Cinematography
Diary of a Teenage Girl (Brandon Trost)
Special Jury Award – Excellence in Editing
Dope (Lee Haugen)
Special Jury Award – Collaborative Vision
Advantageous (Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang)
U.S. Documentary
Grand Jury Prize
The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle)
Audience Award
Meru (Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi)
Directing Award
Cartel Land (Matthew Heineman, U.S./Mexico)
Special Jury Award — Social Impact
3 1/2 Minutes (Marc Silver)
Special Jury Award – Verite Filmmaking
Western (Bill Ross, Turner Ross)
Special Jury Award – Break Out First Feature
(T)error (Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe)
Special Jury Award – Cinematography
Cartel Land (Matthew Heineman, Matt Porwoll)
World Cinema Dramatic...
- 2/1/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Updated with details and quotes: The Sundance Film Festival awards ceremony tonight in Park City saw a dramatic dual decision and strong political voices to put a cap on a hot-deals festival. Like last year, when Whiplash took both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award on its way to an Best Picture Oscar nomination, the much-sought Me And Earl And The Dying Girl took both this year.
“I want to dedicate this to all the young filmmakers in my hometown of Laredo, Texas,” said director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon onstage. Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush teamed to land the pic earlier this week after frenzied bidding, with a 2015 release planned. The Jesse Andrews script follows Greg, who is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But...
“I want to dedicate this to all the young filmmakers in my hometown of Laredo, Texas,” said director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon onstage. Fox Searchlight and Indian Paintbrush teamed to land the pic earlier this week after frenzied bidding, with a 2015 release planned. The Jesse Andrews script follows Greg, who is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But...
- 2/1/2015
- by Dominic Patten and Patrick Hipes
- Deadline
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